Yellow-headed Parrot
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| Amazona oratrix (Ridgway, 1887) |
The Yellow-headed Parrot (Amazona oratrix), also known as the Double Yellow-headed Amazon, etc., is an endangered amazon parrot of tropical America. It is a popular pet and an excellent talker.
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[edit] Taxonomy
This species is part of a complex that also includes the Yellow-crowned Parrot (A. ochrocephala) and the Yellow-naped Parrot (A. auropalliata). The complex is considered one species by some authorities and divided in different ways by others—"a taxonomic headache".[2] However, oratrix usually includes,[2][3] and is often limited to,[1][4] the populations of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and northern Honduras.
[edit] Description
The Yellow-headed Parrot averages 38–43 cm (15–17 in) long. The shape is typical of amazons, with a robust build, rounded wings, and a square tail. The body is bright green, with yellow on the head, dark scallops on the neck, red at the bend of the wing, and yellow thighs. The flight feathers are blackish to bluish violet with a red patch on the outer secondaries. The base of the tail also has a red patch, which is usually hidden. The outer tail feathers have yellowish tips.[2]
The bill is horn-colored, darker in immatures of the Belizean and Honduran subspecies. The eye ring is whitish in Mexican birds and grayish in others. The most conspicuous geographical difference is the amount of yellow. In adults, the head and upper chest are yellow in the subspecies of the Tres Marías Islands in the Mexican state of Nayarit (tresmariae); just the head in the widespread subspecies of Mexico (oratrix); just the crown in Belize, Guatemala, and far northwestern Honduras (belizensis); and the crown and nape in the Sula Valley of Honduras (hondurensis, which thus resembles the Yellow-naped Parrot). Immatures have less yellow than adults; they attain adult plumage in 2 to 4 years.[2]
The variety "Magna" (or "Magnum") is bred for more yellow and commands a premium price as a pet.[5] Some "extreme" Magnas have as much yellow as Tres Marías birds, but are distinguished from them by heavier barring on the chest and a less bluish tint to the green plumage.[6]
Wild birds give low-pitched, sometimes human-sounding screams, but often fly silently (unlike many other parrots). Howell and Webb render some calls as "a rolled kyaa-aa-aaah and krra-aah-aa-ow, a deep, rolled ahrrrr or ahrhrrrr," etc. Young birds make a "clucking" sound to indicate that they're hungry.
[edit] Range and habitat
This species lives in riparian forest and areas with scattered trees, as well as evergreen forest in Belize and mangroves in Guatemala. It occurs in ones and twos, in small groups, and occasionally in big flocks. The range formerly included both coastal slopes of Mexico from the Tres Marías Islands and Jalisco to Oaxaca and from Nuevo León to northern Chiapas and southwestern Tabasco, as well as a disjunct area including most of Belize, and another comprising a small part of northeastern Guatemala and northwestern Honduras.[2] However, their numbers have been reduced drastically—by 90 percent, to 7,000, from the mid 1970s to 1994,[4] and by 68 percent from 1994 to 2004[1]—because of capture for the pet trade and habitat destruction.
[edit] Qualities as pets
Birds of this species have been kept as pets for centuries[3] and are among the parrots that "talk" best.[7] Its vocal abilities are generally considered only to be bested only by the African Grey Parrot and matched by similar species such as the Yellow-naped Parrot.
Yellowheaded amazons are considered loud, active, intelligent, funny, and willful. They like to test their owners and to attract the attention of visitors. They need roomy cages that accommodate their desire to climb[5][8], and are very fond of showers. As in most Amazons, nervous plucking of plumage is rare among this species. A generally recognized downside to the yellowheaded amazon and its close relatives (such as the yellow nape) is hormonal aggressiveness, most notable among males in the breeding season.
The origin of the common epithet "Double Yellow-headed" is obscure, but when excited this species raises its neck and crown feathers, making the head seem to double in size.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c BirdLife International (2004). Amazona oratrix. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 09 May 2006. Database entry includes a range map and justification for why this species is endangered
- ^ a b c d e Steve N. G. Howell and Sophie Webb (1994). A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-854012-4.
- ^ a b c Yellow-headed Amazon Parrot. Hogle Zoo (2002–2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-23.
- ^ a b Yellow-headed Parrot (Amazona oratrix) (pdf). Defenders of Wildlife. Retrieved on 2006-08-23.
- ^ a b Double Yellow-Headed Amazon Parrot. Aves International. Retrieved on 2006-08-23. A commercial site. Shows many photographs including captive-bred young.
- ^ Where are they now?. The Feather Tree (2003). Retrieved on 2006-08-23. A commercial site. Shows many photographs comparing "extreme Magna" to tresmariae
- ^ Larry Lachman, Diane Grindol, and Frank Kocher (2003). Birds Off the Perch: Therapy and Training for Your Pet Bird. Simon and Schuster, p. 7. ISBN 0-7432-2704-2.
- ^ Amazon - Double Yellow Head Main Page. CentralPets.com. Retrieved on 2006-08-23. A commercial site.
